Dozens of people gathered Sunday in Oak Park's Austin Gardens for a rally intended to draw attention to the importance of the park to the community at large and the potential threat organizers said a proposed adjacent 18-story development would pose for the health of the park's trees.

The event, dubbed the "Don't Throw Shade Rally for Austin Gardens," was organized by residents concerned about the impact of the proposed mixed-use development south of the park at the northwest corner of Lake Street and Forest Avenue.

At the rally, children ran across the park flying kites they had made at the event's make-your-own-kite station. Multiple candidates for village trustee milled about the event while attendees listened to music performed by the Farmers Market band.

Rally attendees also lined up to sign a petition urging the village board to vote against a zoning variance request that would allow the developer, Albion Residential, to construct the high-rise in an area zoned for a maximum height of eight stories. The proposed residential and commercial development would stand across the street from the 21-story Vantage Oak Park building.

An orange line surrounding about a third of the park along its southeastern edge was drawn to show rally goers where the shade line would fall if the building was constructed as currently proposed, said Ada Tikkanen. Yellow caution tape was wrapped around about 25 trees within the shade zone to denote those that would be at risk of dying due to lack of sunlight if the development was constructed, she said.

Kevin Tanaka / Pioneer Press

Richard Beile sets up a board for guests to post why Austin Gardens would need saving in Oak Park on March 19.

The shade zone also includes the Environmental Education Center, which opened last year and is equipped with solar panels on its roof.

"The purpose of the event is to just, first of all, have a family fun event for people to come and see what a gem of a park Austin Gardens is because a lot of people aren't aware of it," Tikkanen said. "The second thing we're trying to do is help people have a better understanding of what will happen to the park if a variance is changed and a building over eight stories is built."

She said the group concerned about the proposed building is not "anti-development" but they would appreciate more "thought put into it."

Tikkanen said she hopes the village's elected officials will honor the zoning rules and "don't carelessly sign off on developers wanting to come in and line their pockets with 18-story buildings."

Any concerns that the proposed building would hurt the park are "incorrect," according to a statement from Jason Koehn, president of Albion Residential. He wrote that tall buildings and parks "coexist across the country" and cited Mills Park and Mills Tower in Oak Park as examples.

Albion Residential has commissioned an arborist to analyze the impact the building would have on trees and wildlife in the park, in addition to reaching out to the park district for suggestions on ways to enhance Austin Gardens and its accessibility, according to Koehn.

"Austin Gardens is an asset to everyone, including potential new residents in our building. To suggest we want to 'destroy' it makes no sense and is a fear based not on facts," he wrote.

Kevin Tanaka / Pioneer Press

Aria Wolfe flies her kite at the Austin Gardens protest in Oak Park on March 19.

Deno Andrews, owner of Felony Franks and a village trustee candidate, was at the rally. He said he couldn't support the development as currently proposed.

"I just find it to be a little insulting for a company to come in and ask for a zoning variance 120 or 125 percent higher than what the zoning calls for on that corner," he said. "I think we could have a plenty good development that fits within our zoning code."

Another candidate for trustee, Dan Moroney, a member of the village's historic preservation commission, said he's concerned about the potential negative impact on Austin Gardens and the worsening of a wind tunnel effect in the area.

"Right now, there is nothing about the proposal I feel would be an asset to Oak Park," Moroney said.

Oak Park residents Jennifer Quinlan, 49, and Nicole Walsh, 44, who attended Sunday's rally, said they'd prefer to see a building of a similar size and scope proposed for an area of the community in need of more development.

Quinlan, who lives in northeast Oak Park, said the proposal is "misguided," given that sections of Chicago Avenue, North Avenue and Madison Street are "dying for development."

"I grew up in Oak Park and have been coming here for years. I bring my dog here five days a week, and the fact that the people who run the village have become so craven they would actually consider threatening this park in their rush to overdevelop just sickens me," Walsh said.

Bill Wagner, 67, a longtime Oak Park resident, said he's worried a variance request would set a precedent that would lead to high-rises on all sides of the park. He said he'd prefer a lower building or, ideally, an open square in the area where the development is proposed.

"I don't see any benefit [from the proposed development] to the community at large. The benefit is simply to the person building the building and not the community," Wagner said.